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Heihachi Mishima
|Jamieson Price (Tekken: Blood Vengeance, Street Fighter X Tekken)}} }} | designer = Aya Takemura (Tekken 3–5, Tekken Tag, Soulcalibur II, Namco × Capcom) Takuji Kawano (Tekken 4–5, Soulcalibur II) | motion_actor = Syuichi Masuda (Tekken: Blood Vengeance) Kouji Kawamoto (Tekken: Blood Vengeance) (stunts) | portrayer = Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa | fighting_style = Mishima-ryu Karate (based on Goju-ryu karate) | origin = Japan | nationality = Japanese }} is a fictional character of Namco's Tekken fighting game series. Introduced as the boss character from the [[Tekken (video game)|first Tekken]] video game from 1994, Heihachi appears as the leader of an empire known as the Mishima Zaibatsu. He was the protagonist of Tekken 2, and was a boss character in two additional installments. He is opposed by many of his relatives who wish his death and taking over the Zaibatsu across the series after Heihachi betrayed them whereas Heihachi wants to defeat his son and grandson, Kazuya Mishima and Jin Kazama respectively, in order to obtain their Devil Gene powers. Heihachi's past and motives are revealed in Tekken 7 which is said to be his final appearance in story. Outside Tekken spin-off titles, Heihachi also appears in other games such as SCE Santa Monica Studio's PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale and Capcom's Street Fighter X Tekken as a playable character. He is also featured in the printed, animated and live-action adaptations of the Tekken series. In contrast to the main Tekken games, Heihachi also appeared in many games with a younger appearance. Tekken producer Katsuhiro Harada referred to Heihachi as one of his favorite characters from the series. Critical reception to Heihachi has been positive with journalists praising his moves and characterization. However, critics joked about his design and expressed lack of interest into his role in Tekken 7 where he is one of the most important characters. Nevertheless, his popularity has led to often being one of Sony's mascots as well as one of the most notable characters in fighting games. Conception and creation Tekken series director Katsuhiro Harada has stated that Heihachi is his favorite character in the overall series and the character he most frequently selects when playing. He further described Heihachi as a "very human character", stating that while focus had been placed on his appearance he found the character's philosophy more interesting, and that in the series he was a "perfect portrayal of the evil that lurks in men's hearts", an evil "far more hideous than any made-up monster or demon". In response to claims that the story of Tekken was complicated, Harada denied as he saw it as a "simple" struggle between members from the Mishima family. Despite promotion from Tekken 5 claiming that the character has died in the intro, Namco Bandai denied this statement in interviews. Heihachi's story and traits are based on Harada's history with his father. Harada's father lived in a time involving a post-World War II which was meant to be peaceful for the family. However, Harada claim that by those times, parents were harsh with their children in Japan. As a result, Heihachi was potrayed as antagonistic father to his son something which would make the Japanese players relatable. Heihachi's power in the form of the zaibatsu was based on the Imperialistic Japan. Furthermore, Heihachi is Tekken s personification of wartime Japan. After Tekken 6, Heihachi's voice actor Daisuke Gori died. In order to include the character once again in the spin-off Tekken Tag Tournament 2, Namco hired a new actor who would fit into the character as for that this game Heihachi took a potion to make himself look younger. The voice selected was Unshō Ishizuka. Tekken 7 s story mode was supposed to conclude the long struggle between Kazuya and Heihachi. However, Namco made the story so that newcomers to the franchise would understand it. In further tease of the game, Harada stated that in Tekken 7 Kazuya or Heihachi would die in their final fight. In 2016, Harada commented he had his own family. As a result he compared it with the violent characters from Tekken who are constantly fighting each other: Heihachi, Jin and Kazuya. He viewed this type of family too hard in comparison. When asked about the final fight between both Kazuya and Heihachi, Harada called it "a major milestone in the storyline" as he was surprised by how extended the rivalry between these two characters due to the franchise's popularity have been and thus felt it was necessary to end this in a mortal fight. In Tekken 5, his movesets were viewed as one of the strongest ones from the cast but GameSpy commented he lack a weakness as well as quicker attacks. In preparations for Tekken 7, Harada comments he would often try Devil Jin if he was an "intermediate player" comparing his skills with Heihachi's. For Capcom's crossover game Street Fighter X Tekken, the official guide noted how Heihachi's multiple combos could inflict a large amount of damage on the opponents. For the film Tekken: Blood Vengeance, writer Dai Satō commented he had to wait to get Namco's approval to introduce Heihachi's final transformation using the power of the Mokujin in order to fight Jin in his Devil form. Heihachi's transformation surprised Harada and other members due to how over-the-top it was. Comic book artist Cavan Scott described Heihachi and Kazuya as demon due to their dark character traits, making his rivalry with Jin look unfitting in the narrative due to his differences with their relatives. Scott wanted fans to look forward to his Tekken comic adaptation as due to his handling of the three main characters as it takes during the time Jin has become similar to Heihachi and Kazuya, making their war more engaging. While still treating Jin as the main character for not reaching Heihachi's traits in terms of corruption, he believed the two would nevertheless be interesting enemies. Appearances In video games Main Tekken series In the first Tekken game, Heihachi hosts the Iron First Tournament where he faces his son, Kazuya Mishima. Kazuya wins the tournament, tosses Heihachi off a cliff and assumes control of the Zaibatsu. Heihachi survives the fall, and then returns two years later in Tekken 2 to defeat his son. After defeating Kazuya, Heihachi tosses his body into a volcano, killing him. Fifteen years later, Heihachi learns of a creature, Ogre , has immortal blood, Heihachi seeks its blood in order to create an "ultimate life form". Around this time, he meets a teenager named Jin Kazama, who claims to be his grandson and begs Heihachi to train him so he can take revenge against Ogre for murdering his mother Jun. Heihachi agrees, and four years later, announces the King of Iron Fist Tournament 3 to lure Ogre out. After Jin defeats Ogre, Heihachi betrays and attempts to kill him. However, Jin transforms into a devil, reviving in the process, and escapes. During the events of Tekken 4 Heihachi collects the remains of Ogre and attempts to combine his and Ogre's DNA, but discovers that he will need the Devil Gene possessed by his son and grandson as a catalyst. Unable to find Jin, Heihachi learns Kazuya has been resurrected. To lure both to him, Heihachi holds the fourth King of Iron Fist Tournament two years later with his company's ownership as the grand prize. Heihachi defeats Kazuya in the finals, and takes him to Hon-Maru. However, the two are defeated by Jin, who escapes after sparing Heihachi's life. Following Jin's departure, an army of G Corporation Jack-4s invade Hon-Maru. Heihachi is seemingly killed in the attack, but in reality was blown a great distance away after the Jacks detonated. It is revealed in Tekken 5 that he was unconscious for the duration of the fifth King of Iron Fist Tournament. Upon his recovery, he discovers that Jin took control of the Mishima Zaibatsu in his absence. He appears in the story mode in the console version of Tekken 6, whose main character is Lars Alexandersson, Heihachi's illegitimate son. Heihachi tries to make an alliance with Lars but it fails. Heihachi returns as the main character and arcade mode subboss in Tekken 7. The story follows most of his backstory. Heihachi is better known as the only son of Jinpachi Mishima, a famous martial artist who founded the Mishima Zaibatsu company. Decades before the events of the original Tekken, Heihachi used to have a happy life following his father's foot-steps. He later meets Kazumi Hachijo, who is much younger than him and sent by her family to train in Jinpachi's dojo, with Heihachi as her friendly rival. Eventually, Heihachi and Kazumi become closer and get married, and Kazumi gives birth to their son, Kazuya. One evening during Heihachi's training, Kazumi attempts to kill Heihachi in cold blood and reveals that was the reason she married him. Her clan foresaw his attempt at world domination in the future and she was sent to assassinate him before that future comes to pass. However, Heihachi overpowers and, realizing the woman he loved is gone, kills her. In the same year, Heihachi overthrows his father for control of the Mishima Zaibatsu. Following Jin's disappearance after his battle with Azazel, Heihachi single-handedly retakes the Mishima Zaibatsu and announces a seventh tournament to lure Kazuya out. At the same time, he is confronted by Akuma, whose life was once saved by Heihachi's deceased wife, Kazumi, and who promised to kill both Heihachi and Kazuya for her in return. Heihachi clashes with Akuma and loses, but survives. In order to save the Zaibatsu's image, Heihachi captures footage of Kazuya's battle with Akuma in his Devil form; Their fight is interrupted as Heihachi blasts the two using Dr. Able's satellite, but both survive. Heihachi then confronts Kazuya at the site of a volcano and the two clash. After a long struggle, Heihachi is finally killed; his body is subsequently thrown into a river of molten lava. Other video games In spin off Tekken Tag Tournament, Heihachi appears as a playable character. By winning the game as him, Heihachi is seen meditating while remembering his fights against Kazuya and Jin. In Tekken Tag Tournament 2, Tekken 3D: Prime Edition, Tekken Revolution, PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale, Project X Zone, and Project X Zone 2, Heihachi appears to have regressed back to his original appearance. Heihachi is seen with a full head of hair for the first time. According to his character profile on the Tekken Tag Tournament 2 website, this is because he drank a rejuvenation serum. In the ending of such game, Heihachi tries to drink a serum to become a Devil like Jin, Kazuya and Kazumi, but instead turns into a bear. Addtionally, In "Fight Lab" section of the game, Lee kidnaps the Mishima three fighters for Combot's final test of the machine. Heihachi makes a brief appearance on the Tekken spin-off game Death by Degrees as an optional boss. He also makes an appearance as a playable guest character in the PlayStation 2 and HD Online versions of the fighting game Soulcalibur II, and as an unlockable narrator in Ridge Racer 6, one of the launch titles for Xbox 360. A Mii costume of Heihachi was added to Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U through DLC. Heihachi is one of the bonus characters available to play as or against in Anna Kournikova's Smash Court Tennis for the PlayStation (alongside fellow Namco characters) and is an unlockable character in Smash Court Tennis Pro Tournament 2. He also makes guest appearances in the role-playing game Tales of the Abyss (as one of Anise's custom dolls) and in Pac-Man Fever (alongside several other Namco characters). In the crossover tactical RPG Namco × Capcom Heihachi appears as one of playable characters representing the Namco universe. He also appears in the crossover fighting game Street Fighter X Tekken with Kuma as his official tag partner. He also appears in SNK's mobile phone game The King of Fighters All Star. In other media portrays Heihachi in the live-action films]] Heihachi appears as the main antagonist in the anime Tekken: The Motion Picture, voiced by Daisuke Gori in the Japanese version and by John Paul Shepard in the English dub. In the beginning, Heihachi throws Kazuya off a cliff as a child, and sixteen years later, hosts the King of Iron Fist Tournament in order to lure Kazuya out in the hope that he will accept his destiny as his heir. In the climax, Heihachi battles Kazuya and initially takes the upper hand, but is ultimately defeated. Kazuya, however, spares his father's life, and Heihachi escapes the battleground in a jet. He is also present in the 2009 film Tekken where Heihachi is portrayed by stuntman Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa. Tagawa reprised his role in the prequel Tekken 2: Kazuya's Revenge. He also appears as the main antagonist in the 2011 CGI animated film ''Tekken: Blood Vengeance, which is an alternate retelling of the events between Tekken 5 and Tekken 6. In it, he was supposedly killed by Kazuya four years ago, though in reality he is hiding and had conducted the M-cell experiment (taken from the Devil Gene) on a high school class to test immortality. However, all of the subjects died with the exception of Shin Kamiya, who managed to gain immortality as Heihachi desired. Heihachi is absent for most of the film until the climax, where he reveals that the experiment was just a ruse; he instead tries to take the Devil Gene from Kazuya and Jin, which gives its users increased power. After killing Shin, he fights Kazuya and Jin, awakening the Mokujin spirit for help, though he is ultimately defeated by Jin. He is also present in the novel Tekken: The Dark History of Mishima. Tohru Fujisawa featured Heihachi as a cameo in his manga Great Teacher Onizuka, modeled after his younger appearance in Tekken. In it, he engages in an arm wrestling competition with protagonist Onizuka, shouting out controller inputs while the crowd shouts for him to "Do a combo!" Though Heihachi strains him for a moment, Onizuka defeats him, calling him "triangle head" as an insult. Heihachi cameos again in a later issue briefly, overseeing students as they clean graffiti from the school's walls. Heihachi also makes a cameo appearance in the Puchimas! Petit Petit Idolmaster ONA series. In merchandise In 2006, Namco released a Heihachi figurine as part of a Tekken 5 set based upon his promotional artwork for the game. While not posable, the PVC figure came with equipable clothing items modeled after those in the game.『鉄拳5』＆『ソウルキャリバーIII』の キャラクターたちがコレクションフィギュアに！ . Dengeki Online. Retrieved on 31 July 2008 A "statue" of Heihachi modeled after his Tekken 5 attire also appears in the Namco-themed lounge available for Japanese PlayStation Home users.Famitsu Staff (2008-12-17). PlayStation Homeに『鉄拳』や『ソウルキャリバー』のラウンジが新登場 (in Japanese). Famitsu. Retrieved on 17 December 2008 A Heihachi Mishima-Inspired "Sukajan Jacket" was also released. Reception Heihachi has been a popular character. In 1996, Japanese magazine Gamest magazine named Heihachi the 15th best character of the preceding year, and in December 1997 he placed 40th on their list of the best video game characters. Sites have noted him as one of the best Tekken fighters citing his recognizable strength despite his old age. Heihachi Mishima Tekken Tag guide . IGN. Retrieved on 21 July 2008 In the official poll by Namco, Heihachi is currently ranked as the 24th most requested Tekken character to be playable in Tekken X Street Fighter, at 6.12% of votes. He was also recognized as one of the best bosses in gaming as well as Tekken characters by multiple wesbites. Critics enjoyed his work in the Tekken narrative. Complex noted that what made the character stand out mostly within fighting games in general was to his history in Tekken. The same site enjoyed his narrative in Tekken 2, calling his ending as "the craziest moments in the Tekken series" as he throws Kazuya into a volcano.Rich Knight, "Tekken's" 15 Craziest Moments , Complex.com, 12 October 2012. His potrayal as a villain also earned subject of praise due to his treatment to his relatives. GameSpot named him one of the top ten villains in video games at number three, describing him as one of the most interesting villains in fighting games and adding comments on his little changed design across the series. He was listed as the 78th "most dastardly ne'er-do-wells" villains on video game by GamesRadar. GamesRadar listed Heihachi as the 3rd "Top badass old folk", with comments focused on his role within the story. The same site also named him as the "3rd gaming's richest jerk", for having the "10th most impractical hairstyle in gaming" and as the "3rd gaming hero you didn't realize was dead the whole time". Edge described him as "a legendary fighting game villain", and cited the impact of his supposed death in Tekken 5. WhatCulture named him as the "9th Most Memorable Video Game Boss Of All Time", stating "Heihachi is one slippery fish, and despite constantly finding himself in situations where his extended family wants to kill him a thousand times over, always manages to come out on top. He's basically un-killable, and his Goju-Ryu moveset is the bomb." Both Kotaku and Game Informer have labelled him as one of the worst parents in video game history because of how he treats his relatives Kazuya and Jin. Den of Geek ranked Heihachi as the 9th best fighting game character, adding "The grand dame of the Tekken series, Mr Mishima Senior is one of only a handful of characters to have appeared in each of the main entries in Namco's legendary brawler." His character design, however, has been the subject of criticism due to ridiculous it looks. His younger appearance in Tekken Tag Tournament 2 resulted in surprising reactions by critics who mainly pointed his hair. What Culture ranked him as the 8th greatest character in fighting games, calling him "one of the most iconic and important characters in the Tekken series, and even hardcore fans may have lost track of how many times he has died and come back to life." PlayStation Universe included Heihachi and Kazuya among the top 5 rival pairs in Tekken Tag Tournament 2 based on the potential a team up the two can make.Mike Harradence, Tekken's greatest rivals make the best Tag Teams , PlayStation Universe, 19 September 2012 Heihachi has also been rivaled with Capcom's characters including M. Bison and Gen due to their potrayals as in the games. Heihachi's role in the story of Tekken 7 was met with mixed responses. This was mainly due to how both he and his son are the center of the narrative and the resolution might not appeal to most players despite scenes within the game showing nostalgic value. The character's final fight in Tekken 7 has been noted to be one of the most hardest for newcomers due to how more powerful is Kazuya, his rival. However, Akuma was noted to be far more challenging than Heihachi's fight. Journalists have also commented on Heihachi's role in other games and adaptations. GamesRadar also ranked Heihachi's guest appearance in Soul Calibur II as the "40th awesome character cameo". GamePro in their preview of Soul Calibur II's console ports called Heihachi's appearance in the series a landmark both as the second Tekken character to appear in the titles and as the first unarmed fighter in the series.Soul Calibur II Console Versions Revealed. GamePro.com. Retrieved on 23 July 2008 On the other hand, Arcade Sushi named Heihachi for his appearance in Soul Calibur as one of the "worst fighting game guest stars". In a review of the first Tekken live-action film, DVD Talk had negative opinions on Kazuya and Heihachi's subplot regarding their rivalry. THEM Anime Reviews criticized poorly pronunciation of Heihachi's name in the anime film of the series. Anime News Network joked about how ridiculously evil Heihachi is seen in the film due to how he nearly kills Kazuya. The Fandom Post enjoyed Heihachi's fight against Kazuya in the Western comics while also noting that the comic gave him more honor than his son. See also *[[List of Tekken characters|List of Tekken characters]] References External links * Heihachi's Soul Archive page Category:Male video game characters Category:Namco antagonists Category:PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale fighters Category:Soulcalibur series guest characters Category:Tekken characters Category:Video game characters in comics Category:Video game characters in film Category:Video game mascots Category:Video game bosses Category:Fictional businesspeople Category:Fictional business executives Category:Fictional commanders Category:Fictional Japanese people Category:Fictional Gōjū-ryū practitioners Category:Fictional karateka Category:Fictional martial arts trainers Category:Fictional characters with superhuman strength Category:Fictional characters who can move at superhuman speeds Category:Fictional characters who can manipulate electricity Category:Fictional characters introduced in 1994